Stories about North America from January, 2010
Haiti: International clashes over humanitarian assistance
Five days after the terrible earthquake which has partly destroyed the capital city, Port-au-Prince and others like Leogane and Jacmel, it has been very difficult for rescuers, medical teams and humanitarian services to reach the population and help the survivors.
USA: Haitian Nationals Granted Temporary Protected Status
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a special status given by the United States to foreign nationals from specific countries where there has been some sort of recent turmoil or trauma, such as war or an earthquake. Yesterday, the Obama administration granted TPS to Haitians for the next eighteen months. Jillian C. York looks at blog reactions.
Haiti: “Culture, Crossroads, Color”
Haitian-American writer and artist Lenelle Moise tries to: “balance the images of the devastation of my birthplace (injured bodies aching in wait, starving orphaned children, mass graves set amid rubble) with evidence of all the beautiful dynamic magic its descendants make.”
Haiti, USA: When politics challenge compassion
In a post [Fr], Haitian writer Alain Mabanckou exposes the right-wing American radio host Rush Limbaugh, who has told his listeners that President Obama is using this catastrophe as a part of a political strategy towards minority voters and therefore asked the American people not to donate.
Haiti: Instances of “Looting,” but Little Confirmed Evidence of Post-Quake Violence
Four nights after the Haiti earthquake the airwaves and the Internet are seeing a raging debate over blogs and news media's use of the word “looting." Marc Herman offers a look into blogs and press from all over the world.
Trinidad & Tobago, Haiti: Come Better Than That
“Tell me we could do better than $1 million US. Tell me that we can do better than Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie”: The Manicou Report is disappointed in Trinidad and Tobago's contribution to Haiti's relief effort.
Haiti, U.S.A.: Giving Well
“With all the heartbreaking images from Haiti, the compulsion overwhelms to help”: Peace.Soul.Spirit.Tse. shares why she is giving her contribution to Partners in Health: “It is because I want to Give Well and not just give Dead Aid.”
Nigeria: Nigerian bloggers take on would-be bomber Umar Abdulmutallab
On December 25th, the world was taken by surprise when news broke that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian citizen, had nearly succeeded in detonating explosives on a Northwest Airlines flight between Amsterdam and Detroit. At first, many Nigerians reacted with shock and disbelief, some even doubting whether Abdulmutallab was truly a Nigerian.
Jamaica: Big Guns
Jamaica Salt reports on the number of guns being smuggled into the island.
Haiti: First reactions to the 7.0 earthquake
The first blog posts written in French about the earthquake in Haiti have come from outside the country, announcing terrible news of the Presidential Palace , a hospital and other buildings collapsing and also of the threat of a tsunami. According to MetropoleHaiti, The USA have already proposed humanitarian assistance.
Avatar: For or Against Indigenous Rights?
Bloggers worldwide are discussing the themes in the wildly successful film Avatar by James Cameron. Is it racist in its depiction of an extra-terrestrial indigenous tribe?
Japan: National Film Industry and Avatar
The denmipapa blog is publishing a series of posts explaining the business side of the Japanese film industry. The fifth installment explores why the industry is not set up to release an ultra expensive 3D movie like Avatar. [JA]
Bahamas, U.S.A.: Same Old Story
The Bahamas’ The Gaulin Wife “wasn’t fooled” by the new film Avatar: “The story is clichéd, dangerously so, because while it appears to call into question colonialism’s devastating effects on the colonized, it ultimately reinforces a colonial worldview…”
Haiti: Free & Fair?
Haitian blogger Wadner Pierre features a letter from a U.S. Congresswoman who expresses concerns that the island's upcoming elections would be “a set back for Haiti's democratic development if these elections will not be fair and credible.”
